Summer Breeding/Cooling incubators.

KDesautels08

Member
Messages
139
Location
Massachusetts
Hey guys,

Just looking for some opinions, on incubating during summer months. The issue I am having is with temperature sexing during summer months. I am currently using Hovabator incubators, and unfortunately my reptile room is not yet temperature controlled. However the issue with Hovabators is that they only heat. So if I am trying to incubate for female (80-83 degrees), but it reaches 85+, the temp in my incubator goes up based on room temperature.

How do you guys regulate temp in your incubators during the summer months? What do you guys think about incubators with cooling features?

Thanks
 

KDesautels08

Member
Messages
139
Location
Massachusetts
Do you mean the ambient temperature of the room is 85+?

On hot days, the room (in general) is typically a higher temperature than what the incubator is set for. For example, my female incubator is set to 82 degrees, but on a hot day (lets say its 85 outside), the temperature on my incubator spikes due to lack of ability to cool. With ambient temperature, my incubators get to be in the upper 80s. I have started deliberately breeding males because of this, but I would like more females before the season ends.
 

Alceste

Member
Messages
30
Location
United States
If you can rig up some kind of cool box to keep your incubator in it may get you through the summer. I have the same problem with ambient room temps during the summer. I take a big storage bin and put the incubator inside it with a box fan blowing air over it constantly. While this is a decent fix for the temperature it will dry out your incubator much more quickly so be sure to monitor the humidity.
 

Neon Aurora

New Member
Messages
1,376
Location
New Mexico
I know many people using cooling in their incubators. I don't have experience with that, but I imagine adding a fan would help. I've heard of people using computer fans. As long as your egg boxes are sealed, it shouldn't disrupt the humidity.

Personally, I would worry about the temperature in your reptile room getting so high. It may interfere with your reptiles' abilities to thermoregulate.
 

acpart

Geck-cessories
Staff member
Messages
15,118
Location
Somerville, MA
I'm also in MA. I used a hobovator for about 5 years and just put it in my basement during the summer months. Then I upgraded to a cooling incubator because I got tired of going into the basement all summer to check the eggs.

Aliza
 

wicked gecko

New Member
Messages
58
Location
Wisconsin
I've been researching this recently also. Sorry to hijack but was wondering which type incubator acpart got and if it seems to keep up. For the most part we turn on central air if it gets up to 80 in the house but if at work or somewhere it'd be nice to have.
 

KDesautels08

Member
Messages
139
Location
Massachusetts
Here's an article I wrote last year about the different incubators I've used and how they worked. The last incubator mentioned, which I had just gotten at the time I wrote the article, has been the best and keeps up with ambient temperature changes wonderfully:
A Tale of Three Incubators - Gecko Time - Gecko Time

Aliza

Wow, Thank you Aliza, this article was very informative. I am going through literally an identical situation right now. I have a Hovabator, and I recently had an Exo terra cooling/heating incubator given to me, it works, but the "cooling" doesn't seem to do well with drastic fluctuations (much like with your ReptiPro5000). How has the new incubator you picked up handle the cooling aspect of things?

Thanks,

Keith
 

acpart

Geck-cessories
Staff member
Messages
15,118
Location
Somerville, MA
My new incubator is incredible. My last year with the Reptipro5000 I had about 10% deformities (some notched eyelids and mostly missing digits or double jointed/hyperextended rear legs). This is the second season with the new incubator and so far everyone's been fine! Unfortunately what I've heard about the eco-terra makes me think it's worse than the Reptipro.

Aliza
 

KDesautels08

Member
Messages
139
Location
Massachusetts
My new incubator is incredible. My last year with the Reptipro5000 I had about 10% deformities (some notched eyelids and mostly missing digits or double jointed/hyperextended rear legs). This is the second season with the new incubator and so far everyone's been fine! Unfortunately what I've heard about the eco-terra makes me think it's worse than the Reptipro.

Aliza

Thanks Aliza, thats great to hear that the new incubator works so well. So far the only issue I am experiencing with the exo terra is some temp fluctuation based on ambient heat. About a 2 degree fluctation on a given day (if it is set to 87 - it will hit as high as 90 but haven't seen higher yet). Needless to say I am looking for a new (more accurate) incubator. Do you know if your new incubator is sold commercially? I have been searching for it but haven't been able to find it.
 

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